The Earth, The Moon, A Fighting Star
by Alyson Caraway
Summary: Usagi and Mamoru have never seen the future or met Chibi-Usa when the Sailor Stars arc begins. Without the obligation to fulfill their destiny and bring Chibi-Usa into the world, will Usagi stay with Mamoru when Seiya appears?
1. Chapter 1

Usagi and her prince had a fairy tale romance and the other senshi never let them forget it.

"Oh, Mamoru can't see you today? That's a shame. I can't find a boyfriend for five minutes. Please, tell me more about how you can't see the man you'll be with for the rest of your life." "Mamoru, what's it like not having to send flowers to Usagi since you already know she's yours? And by flowers, you know, I mean the ones you don't toss around in battle." "It must be amazing knowing that you're already with your soulmate; the love of your life."

In some respects, it was wonderful that Usagi and Mamoru had found each other so early in their lives. Sure, Mamoru had been a little ahead of Usagi age-wise, but he'd helped her mature. He also helped her study, get more powerful in battle… there was never a moment that she didn't feel lucky to have him.

On the other hand… Usagi felt that because Mamoru knew they would be together forever, he took the time they had now for granted. The teasing the others did about him not being romantic stung because it was true. Roses might have been commonplace with him, but then why couldn't she have some on the anniversary of their awakening, or for Valentine's Day?

She had always thought she was being childish and that it was wrong to expect those things of her prince. Their love was one for the history books…

Usagi had moved past her selfish desires for roses, extra date nights and more attention a few months ago. She'd become happy, if not a little complacent, with the way things with Mamoru were going.

 _His studies have just been so hard…_ she thought to herself. If Ami was having trouble with some of his work, Usagi knew she didn't stand a chance. _As soon as he graduates things will be a lot different._

But even in the scope of forever, two years felt like an agonizingly long time to wait.

Plus, she'd recently had a taste of what roses and more attention could be like… and it was nice. Really nice. Too nice… especially since it wasn't coming from Mamoru.

"Did you hear?!" Minako squealed excitedly as she burst into the classroom. She shouted her news for all to hear as they sat at their desks eating lunch. "The Three Lights… they're transferring to our school! They're pulling up RIGHT NOW!"

The announcement was met with shrieks and cries of every student, male or female, in the room. Loud squeaks of desks sliding along the tile floor and slams of chairs as they toppled over echoed off the walls as the herd of fans pushed their way through the door and into the hallway to catch a glimpse of the idols' arrival.

Everyone evacuated as if the school suddenly went up in flames. Everyone, it seemed, but Usagi. When the classroom was cleared, even Ami was gone. Not that she was surprised; the brainiac had been hinting for over a week now that she was a bigger fan of the Three Lights than she'd let on. But unlike the others, Usagi took the news with shock on her face and a massive knot in her stomach.

"This is a nightmare, right?" she whispered to herself.

All of the Sailors had gotten to know Seiya, Taiki and Yaten Kou as the Sailor Starlights in the last few senshi meetings at Hikawa Shrine. Usagi had met them in a battle at a television shoot, where they fought together and she learned of their mission to find their leader. After begging them to come with her so she could introduce them to the rest of the group, it was Sailor Star Fighter, Seiya Kou, who finally convinced the other two that it was a good idea.

Now, she wished she'd listened when Sailor Star Healer and Maker told her to buzz off and let them go on their merry way. That way she never would have gotten close to Seiya, and the unwelcome butterflies he stirred up inside her.

Only Mamoru should give her butterflies like that. Lately, the guilt she felt when she did see him was more than she could handle. She was having a hard enough time keeping her feelings in check, and now she would see Seiya every day?

"Hey, Odango," rasped a familiar voice in her ear.

Ugh, he was smooth and he knew it. Usagi jumped, shuddering as she turned around. "S- Seiya," she said, though was unable to keep from stuttering. She forced a smile. "You didn't tell me you were planning on coming to this school."

He smirked in that way that made all the girls swoon as they filtered back into the classroom. "Well, going to the same school as you made it an easy choice. Are you happy with your teacher? Because I arranged for us to have her, too."

The pit in her stomach plummeted even further. "You… d- did?"

He laughed. "I'm going to take your stammering as a compliment." He'd slipped into the desk behind her, and when the guy who usually sat there came back in, it didn't take much convincing for him to give up the seat. "Thanks, man, I really appreciate it," Seiya was saying to him as the other classmate relocated.

Usagi was sick to her stomach by the time class began. 'Would Mamo-chan have done all of this if we were in the same grade?' she asked herself. Mamoru was very by-the-book and infuriatingly independant sometimes; she knew he would never have transferred classes and schools just so they could be together all day. Sometimes he thought they were together too much as it was, telling her after a dinner or movie that she should get home and study while he did the same in his apartment. If it were up to her, Usagi would spend every waking moment with her Mamo. She didn't really understand why he wanted so much space sometimes.

Luckily, they had arrived so late into their lunch break that classes resumed shortly after they came in. As if Usagi didn't find school difficult to pay attention to before… her mind was swirling when the first afternoon lecture began.

"You'll show me around, won't you, Odango? Yaten and Taiki already went with Minako and Ami."

His breath was on her face again and she snapped back to reality to find everyone packing up and leaving. The day was over? She looked down at her notebook to find she'd drawn little stick figures all over the page. Some were of her- identified by the two circles on her head- dancing, eating and laughing with a man in a mask, a rose, and a little top-hat.

Some of the others her doodle-self interacted with had a long, black ponytail.

Usagi slammed her notebook shut. "Show you around? You really are relentless, you know that?"

"Well of course I am. How do you think me and my brothers became idols?"

She grit her teeth, finding she did so not only in annoyance, but also to keep from smiling because he was just too quick with his retorts. Slowly, she regained her resolve and stood, turning to face him still seated at his desk. "You know Mamo-chan isn't going to like any of this."

Seiya looked hurt as he stood. "Any of what? We had to find a good school to go to, and Juuban High met the requirements. He can't oppose a good education."

"No, but he can oppose the class you forced your way into."

Seiya shrugged. "So let him try. We can go talk to him right now, if you want. I'll tell him our reasoning and make sure to set it all straight. Sound good?"

Usagi couldn't hide her disappointment and cursed herself for it as she looked down at her shoes. "We can't today. He said he'd be too busy with school until Friday to see me."

She didn't have to look up to know that Seiya had been expecting that and gazed down at her with pity. More often than not, Mamoru was too busy to see her during the week unless they came across an enemy; then he was always there to save and protect her. It was getting to the point now where she almost hoped a terrible new threat would come upon them to give her an excuse to see him more.

Usagi sighed as she collected her books. "Let's just get out of here. What part of the campus do you want to see first?"

Usagi showed Seiya the library (it was the first time she saw it herself), the cafeteria, and her favorite side route to take through the halls if he ever came in late. He teased her relentlessly, especially when he found out how often she needed to take that side route, but she couldn't say it bothered her. She could tease him back, and he would laugh. Sometimes she would cringe at her jokes; were they too harsh? Mamoru would have thought so, but those got the heartiest laughs from Seiya. When they went to the gym and soccer fields he showed off just how athletic he was, and Usagi couldn't help but be impressed. She was far from an athlete and didn't even know if Mamoru liked soccer or basketball, but Seiya inspired a newfound appreciation for athletic ability as he scored basket after basket or goal after goal. He'd attracted quite a crowd to the field, and even as every other girl screamed and cheered his name when he scored, he would only have eyes- and a wink- for Usagi.

She found she was especially drawn to his musical talent… which made sense, she supposed, because that's how he'd gotten so famous. When the sun began to set she knew she'd been with him for far too long, yet found herself on the rooftop of the school with him. She stood against the chainlink fence, watching the view of Juuban and thinking about how mad Mamoru would be to see her there as Seiya sat on a bench, softly strumming his guitar.

 _But Mamoru isn't here, is he?_

He hadn't even taken a minute out of his day to leave her a message on her communicator.

Usagi listened as Seiya tried a few chords, tested out a few lyrics, and murmured to himself from the bench behind her until he called out, "Okay, Odango… you're gonna be the first one to hear this song I just made. It's definitely gonna be our next single; I can feel it. Ready?"

She knew she should have told him no. But she should have said no to showing him around, coming up onto the roof with him, staying for just a little while longer…

She wanted to hear what he'd written, and didn't have the self control to oppose him.

"...I'm ready."

He smiled and looked down at his guitar. "It's an honor to hear this song even before my brothers, you know. And when it's playing non-stop on the radio… you'll know that you were its muse."

Usagi looked down, feeling guiltier than ever about being up on that roof with him. Yet as Seiya began his song, she couldn't tell him to stop. Such was always the way with this mysterious idol from another world. He always tested the waters, and she always let him. She just couldn't bring herself to tamp down her curiosity and see where he would go. She didn't want to shut him down for fear that he would stop giving her the attention she craved so badly.

 _The attention Mamo-chan should be giving me._

The tempo of Seiya's song was slow, and as she lifted her head to look out over the city again, closed her eyes and let each note absorb into her soul. Each note was purposeful; melodic. Perfect, in a way she was unable to explain. And when he began to sing, his voice was low, as if exposing himself; unsure if he should be speaking the words out loud:

 _In my dreams, how many times have we_  
 _Given each other tender kisses_  
 _When I look into your round eyes_  
 _I am drawn right into them_

Those round eyes immediately began to burn with tears as she listened, stunned by just how penetrating the composition was.

 _Because my heart is beating so quickly_  
 _I know myself that this is for real_  
 _This heartache is too much, I've grown tired of it_  
 _I won't give up on this_

Why did she allow him to sing this to her? Every word was a painful, yet beautiful stab to the heart. This couldn't keep going on like this. Her feelings for Seiya… they were getting too strong...

 _If we had only met earlier_  
 _All I can find is that excuse_  
 _To the distances where the moonlight doesn't reach_  
 _Oh, I want to take you away there..._

If they had only met earlier… what would her life have been like?

He strummed the chords for a few more measures before the music died. "That's it so far…" he said softly, and she heard him set the guitar down behind her.

Her legs refused to move as she felt him grow closer to her.

"Odango…"

"I can't do this, Seiya." It took hearing her own voice to realize she was crying. When Seiya realized the same, his hands were on her shoulders and he spun her around to face him with a look of horror on his face.

"Odango, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cr-"

"I have a boyfriend, Seiya; you know this. More than a boyfriend… a prince, who I have been in love with for centuries. Mamoru Chiba... Prince Endymion. We're destined for one another. I'm sorry. I let..." she gestured between the two of them, "...this, go on for too long. I pushed the line too far. Allowed my feelings…" She trailed off and looked down at her fingers as huge, hot tears spilled from her eyes.

Seiya was silent for a long moment before lifting his hands to her shoulders again, hovering over them without making contact, and dropping them to his sides with balled fists. "Allowed your feelings… to what?"

Usagi let out a humorless laugh and shook her head. "Jeez, you really never know when to let up..." But it was time to be honest. She owed it to both of them, and later, to Mamoru. She needed to voice her thoughts and get them out into the world once and for all before she dropped them entirely. Raising her chin, she met his gaze through her own blurred, teary vision. "I've allowed myself to care too much for you… I'm afraid of how much I've come to like you. I want to be friends with you, Seiya. I do. But I can't if you keep following me around and write me beautiful songs. It's not fair to Mamo-chan for me to feel like this." She wiped her tears with the back of her sleeve and sniffled. "I'm sorry, but… if you can't see me as just a friend, then you need to transfer out of this school and please, please leave me alone."

The hurt in his eyes nearly killed her. She hated everything about this situation, especially how much her heart ached as she watched his stunned face. The hands that were once at his sides were now on either side of her, gripping the chain link fence she found herself crushed against as he leaned in. "The last thing I wanted to do was upset you, Odango. I am so sorry." He watched a tear fall down her cheek before meeting her eyes again, pain staring into pain. "I will back off... but only if you promise me you'll consider this: I know you have Mamoru, and he was your prince from long ago… but what if that's all he was? Tuxedo Mask may be there for and protect Sailor Moon now, but he, Mamoru Chiba, doesn't treat you, Usagi Tsukino, the way he should. The way I would… as Star Fighter or Seiya. I would never take you for granted like that… you're far too special. You're the most amazing woman in the universe, and deserve to be treated that way. You have never known anything but him… you have no idea if he's really the right one for you in this life. I can show you what love can really be."

He played her as expertly as his guitar. Just because she and her prince had been reborn together, didn't mean that they had to end up together? She'd never considered that before. And it was true; Tuxedo Mask was always there for Sailor Moon… but Mamoru could be so distant to her as Usagi. How had she never really put these pieces together?

"Maybe destiny just wanted you to play out the whole story in this life," Seiya said. "Who's to say you would have ended up together even in Silver Millennium? Think about it. Do you just feel like you want to be with Mamoru because of your past lives, or is there something more? Allow me the chance to treat you right, Odango. Even if it's just for a week, let me show you that destiny may not be what you think it is. I don't want you to answer me now; I want you to think about it. Take a few days… and this."

Again, she was too wrapped up in his words and curious about where this could go that, as Seiya leaned in, she didn't move. She knew exactly what he was giving her 'to take,' and damn it all, she was going to let it happen. She wanted it to happen. She even closed her eyes and held her breath as she leaned forward, just slightly, allowing Seiya's lips to touch her own.

She sucked in a breath, and as arms tangled and mouths opened, Usagi experienced a kiss so full of passion it would have brought Silver Millenium to its knees.


	2. Chapter 2

Usagi hurried home on legs that felt like jelly.

She'd let Seiya's searing kiss linger far too long; allowed him to penetrate the piece of her heart she'd thought all along was reserved exclusively for Mamoru.

With that thought of her prince, she managed to brace her hands on Seiya's shoulders and push him away. Seiya allowed the distance.

"Let me walk you home, Odango," he'd said in a raspy voice, between deep breaths as though she'd taken his breath away.

She stared at his lips, still so close to her own, as the weight of what had just happened sank in. Guilt flooded her, and she shook her head. "I'll be fine by myself," she'd whispered, then peeled herself off of the chain link fence he'd just been pressing her against and ran into the school stairwell.

"Oh God, what have I done?" she whispered to herself now, alone in the dark and halfway home. Her voice cracked at the end as she began to cry. In the distance, she heard a scream that matched the exact helpless, scared tone she wanted to make herself.

*A scream…?* She paused, stifling a sniffle as she listened again.

"Oh no! How could I have chosen wrong again?!" said a high-pitched female voice from behind her. Usagi spun, catching the end of a fading light in an alleyway across the street. She needed a distraction and a way to take out whatever emotions were swirling inside her. For once, she was ready for a fight.

* * *

Usagi had been looking for a release, but hadn't reckoned it would be this difficult. Sailor Iron Mouse was getting better at finding victims with strong star seeds, which made for even stronger phages.

This particular monster called herself "Sailor Coffee," and was likely the owner of the cafe a few doors down from the alleyway. The coffee-like substance she shot from her hands burned, the plastic straws that came from behind her ears felt like bullets on her skin, and Eternal Sailor Moon barely escaped getting trapped by a large doughnut the creature just launched at her. This was not the distraction Usagi had been looking for.

"Stop!" Sailor Moon cried desperately as more liquid scalded her arm. Each mark was like another reminder of how much she'd hurt Mamoru. This fight was too overwhelming for the state she was in. *Maybe I should just give up…* she thought.

The familiar sound of energy snapping through the air gave Sailor Moon a mixed feeling of relief and dread. "Star Serious Laser!" Sailor Star Fighter cried, and a piercing bolt of light shot down from the top of the building to their right.

Sailor Coffee dodged the laser, but a red rose flying in from the left stabbed her in the shoulder and she screamed. Before Sailor Moon could manage a gasp a red-lined, warm black cape enveloped her and she was airborne.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," Tuxedo Mask said in her ear. "How badly has she hurt you?"

In the grand scheme of things, the pain the phage inflicted on her was nothing compared to what Mamoru would feel if he'd known what she'd done. "I'm fine," she said, covering the burn marks on her upper arms with her coffee-stained gloves. She winced, finding the white fabric was nearly grafted to her skin with the heat of the monster's attack.

Tuxedo Mask nearly growled as he set Sailor Moon down on the roof of the building. "You're not fine," he said, and she could see his sad eyes through his mask. He blamed himself...

"Look out, Sailor Moon!" Star Fighter cried, bounding off the building on the opposite side of the alley to land on their roof, then sprinted toward the girl. Sailor Coffee was hot on her heels, ready to shoot another oversized doughnut.

As Tuxedo Mask spread his cape to block Sailor Moon, Star Fighter dove for her, enveloped her in her arms, and both women went rolling out of the way.

"No!" Sailor Moon cried, trying to untangle herself from Star Fighter's strong hold and catch a glimpse of Tuxedo Mask. To her relief he'd dodged the attack, but was now running directly toward the enemy.

Sailor Moon wasn't sure she was supposed to hear, but Star Fighter saw the same and grumbled, "No… I will be the one to keep you safe," and sprang up to race Tuxedo Mask to the phage.

"I can protect my world without alien help," Tuxedo Mask spat, stopping as he sent his cane whirling toward Sailor Coffee.

"Maybe, but you sure as hell can't protect your princess," Star Fighter retorted.

Sailor Moon's heart plummeted into her stomach as she began to spin. *Seiya… not now…* she plead silently, before thrusting her wand into the air. "Starlight Honeymoon Therapy KISS!" she shouted, though any mention of kisses wasn't exactly what she needed right then…

Blinding beams of light emanated from her wand and struck Sailor Coffee just behind Tuxedo Mask's cane. As the cane fell to the ground, so did the phage, quickly turning back into her normal cafe-owner form. "Beautiful!" the girl called, then fell to the ground in a heap.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Tuxedo cried, ripping off his mask to glare at Star Fighter before him.

"Can we not do this right now?!" Sailor Moon shouted, running toward the fallen girl. "Star Fighter, can you help this gi-"

Star Fighter's tone was menacing and low, yet still managed to cut off Sailor Moon's words. "If you really cared for her, you would have known. You would have stopped us."

Sailor Moon no longer had the strength to stay in her form as she stood. Pink ribbons transitioned to her school uniform and she felt her knees shaking as she stepped between them. "Seiya…" she said, giving him a sidelong, horrified glance.

She could hear Tuxedo Mask's angry exhalations beside her. "Take care of the girl, Fighter," he said, and Usagi yelped as she felt him suddenly scoop her up in his arms. Before Star Fighter could protest, Tuxedo Mask spiked a ball to the ground. Before he could finish saying, "Tuxedo La Smoking Bomber!" he and Usagi were airborne. Usagi shook in Tuxedo Mask's vice grip as he looked down at her with a mix of fear and trepidation in his eyes. "You, me, my apartment. Now."


	3. Chapter 3

It was a quiet ride back to Mamoru's apartment. Tuxedo Mask wouldn't look at Usagi. _Maybe that's okay._ She took the time to close her eyes and inhale him in. His face may have been angry, and perhaps a little nervous, but his rose and sandalwood scent never changed. She tried to channel all the good times before he started ignoring her.

"Did you fall asleep?" he asked angrily as he set her down in his living room. Before she could answer he turned away from her, stripping himself of his hat, mask and tuxedo jacket. He didn't turn to face her again.

Usagi narrowed her eyes at the back of his head, steeled herself and stood up straighter. "No," she retorted, "I was just... thinking."

"So was I. About what the hell Seiya could have been talking about." He finally turned to face her again.

 _You know exactly what he was talking about._ Everything about Mamo's behavior confirmed it. Obviously he knew he'd been treating her poorly and feared Seiya would do something. He was nervous about it, yet apparently not nervous enough to improve his attitude or spend more time with her.

Usagi lifted her chin in defiance, yet quickly lowered it again and looked up at Mamo through her lashes. _No matter how he's treated me lately, he's still my Mamo. My Endymion. That doesn't make what happened with Seiya right._

"Seiya…" she began, but paused. What happened was just as much her fault. She cleared her throat and tried again. "We kissed." Her mouth immediately dried out.

Mamoru's sky blue eyes dilated and his hands balled into fists. Once again, he looked away from her.

Usagi's lip started quivering as the moisture from her mouth went right to tears welling in her eyes. In a wobbly tone she explained everything that had happened that day, from Minako announcing the Three Lights were joining their school to the tour Usagi gave Seiya after classes ended. Mamoru's fists were white with tension by the time Usagi told him of the sing Seiya wrote. His face was bright red and his eyes were wide when she finally got to the kiss.

"Then I ran into Iron Mouse on the way home, and you know what happened after that," she whispered. She wanted to look away from him so badly; to run and hide for an eternity, but she refused to break her stare. Mamoru had every right to look away from her if he wanted. She didn't have that privilege. _You deserve to see the pain this has caused your prince._

Seiya's words assaulted her. " _He was your prince from long ago… but what if that's all he was? Tuxedo Mask may be there for and protect Sailor Moon now, but he, Mamoru Chiba, doesn't treat you, Usagi Tsukino, the way he should. Who's to say you would have ended up together even in Silver Millennium?"_

"I'm going to _murder_ him. Is he- she, whatever he is- is he what you want?" Mamoru asked. His expression was unreadable.

Usagi cringed. "The attention, yes. I just feel like you've been ignoring me, Mamo-"

"That's no excuse to kiss someone else."

"Of course not, but why-"

"Don't turn this on me! YOU kissed someone else! And that rat-tailed bastard Seiya, of all people!" Her tears were falling in earnest now and it was evident that Mamoru's impatience was escalating. "If I could spend more time with you, I would… but you know I've been studying like crazy to get into graduate school. It's difficult enough memorizing huge vocabulary words and drafting papers in Japanese, but in English? It's a nightmare."

Usagi blinked. "English?"

Mamoru let a long moment of silence pass between them, then sighed. "I wasn't going to mention this unless I really decided to go, but… I got into Harvard, Usako. You know it's been my dream, and I never thought I had a shot. But I got the letter a week ago, and I have to tell them by tomorrow whether or not I accept."

"Harvard. As in, America? Thousands of miles away?" Her chest felt like it was imploding.

"I was leaning toward not going, but now…"

They stared at each other.

"Usa, is it him, or me?"

 _I can't kill his dreams. No matter what, Mamo has to go to America._ That thought killed her.

" _He was your prince from long ago… but what if that's all he was?"_

"...I need to think," Usagi finally whispered.

Mamo reacted exactly the way she knew he would: cold and hurt. "As you wish." He walked past her to open the front door to his apartment and motioned her toward it. "Good night, Usagi."

She bowed her head and barely found her voice. "Night." She was quick to walk past him and into the night, anxious to finally be alone and think.

 _Mamo… Seiya…_

Damn her heart for beating for both.


End file.
